OSPREY ALIGHTS

Tilt-rotor aircraft lands on Japanese vessel for first time

ABOARD THE HYUGA 
The U.S. and Japan buttressed their military alliance Friday during an amphibious operations exercise in San Diego, when an MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft landed for the first time on a Japanese ship.

The historic Osprey touchdown aboard the helicopter destroyer Hyuga sailing off San Diego was a marquee moment for Dawn Blitz, a two-week exercise that began Tuesday. About 5,000 troops are participating with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and the Navy’s 3rd Fleet, including a first-time appearance by Japan’s maritime, ground and aviation self-defense forces.

Amid controversy over the Osprey in Japan and regional tensions with China, military leaders from both Japan and the United States were keen to show off the capabilities of the hybrid aircraft as it becomes an increasingly common sight in the Asia Pacific region.

The Osprey flies like a turboprop airplane at about twice the speed of the Marine helicopter it is replacing. Without refueling, the Osprey has at least five times the range and carries three times the weight in troops and supplies.

With the push of a pilot’s thumb, the wingtip rotors swivel skyward for the Osprey’s signature feature — its ability to hover, take off and land like a helicopter, freeing it to operate in austere areas without runways.

“I think the Osprey is well-suited to Japan, where you have long distances over water,” Brig. Gen. John Broadmeadow, commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, said after flying onto the Japanese ship in an Osprey.

Broadmeadow, standing between a rear admiral and a major general from Japan, called the Hyuga landing an “important moment” for the Osprey. But he said the most critical aspect of Dawn Blitz is the opportunity for military allies to practice the complex synchronization required of amphibious operations.

“This is a great demonstration of the interoperability of our armed forces, where two partners who have historically worked together can bring together our latest technology. But I don’t want to be overwhelmed by the aircraft itself. What’s really important here is the partnership among two very close friends,” Broadmeadow said.

The Chinese government and Japanese public are also particularly interested this year in Dawn Blitz.

China reportedly asked U.S. officials to cancel the amphibious landing exercise planned for Monday on San Clemente Island. U.S. and Japanese officials characterized it as routine training unrelated to regional tensions in Asia, but territorial disputes over the Senkaku Islands raised the profile of the exercise on the remote training range.

More than two dozen Japanese media representatives are reporting on Dawn Blitz. Many questioned how the Osprey might help Japan defend a remote island and whether it was safe.

The Japanese government is rumored to be interested in buying the Osprey, because of its utility and to win political points with the U.S. But widespread protests broke out in Okinawa when the Marine Corps moved its first 12 Osprey to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in July. A second squadron is slated to follow this year.

The Osprey was grounded during its development in 2000 after 19 Marines were killed in one crash. It was redesigned, deployed in combat and became one of the safest rotorcraft flying in the U.S. fleet today, military officials said.